Seal-lock



L. A. POOTE.

(No Model.)

SEAL LOOK.

Patented Oct. 4, 1887.

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. UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS A. FOOTE, OF LANSING, MINNESOTA.

SEAL-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 371,050, dated October 4, 1887.

Application filed April 29, 1885.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEwIs A. FOOTE, of Lansing, in the county of Mower, and in the State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seal-Locks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to the sealing of cars, packages, &c., and will be 'fully described hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of my device in position on a car. Fig. 2 shows the securing'pin with its lower portion in section, and showing the seal-tag and locking device also in section. Figs. 3 and 4 show the two parts of the locking device separated from each other. Fig. 5 is a view of the seal-tag in place. Fig. 6 shows the breaking-wrench in position for use. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the wrench, and Figs. 8 and 9 show modifications of my improved device.

A is a pin by which the hasp a is secured on its staple a. The lower end of the pin is slotted at b to receive a key, B, which has a rectangular reduced portion ,1), that fits loosely in slot 7), and this reduced portion is made with a shouldered slot, 0, that extends through its entire length to receive the prongs d of a lockingstem, d. This stem consists of two thin elastic strips recurved or bent at one end to form the barbs or prongs d,while the other end is cast or otherwise anchored in a head, D. The sealing of a car, for instance, by my device is done as follows: The pin is passed through thestaple a, so as to confine the hasp. The reduced portion of key B is then passed through slot 12, and then, the seal-tag 0 having been placed on stem d, the latter is pushed into the slot 0 in the reduced portion of the key B far enough to permit the prongs d to spring out behind the shoulders c. The key will now be confined in the pin by its head on oneside and the head of stem (1 on the other, and as the prongs d, that confine the stem d in the pin, are entirely out of sight and are inaccessible, the key cannot be removed until after the head of the stem has been broken off by means of a wrench, E, such as is shown in Figs. 6 and 7, or by any other convenient instrument; but after the head has been broken off the key may be easily withdrawn, so as to permit the removal of pin Serial No. 163,905. (No model.)

A, and then when the car is to be again sealed a new stem is to be used. It is immaterial whether the seal-tag be hung on the stem d or the key.

In Figs. 8 and 9 I show modifications of my device. In the former figure the key is made of friable material in two parts, B and B, which are locked together, when in the pin A, by an elastic prong, d, that projects from the part B into a notch, d in the part B, or vice versa, and when the parts are thus locked together they can only be withdrawn after the head of one has been knocked or wrenched off.

In the modification shown in Fig. 9 the key B consists of a single transverse piece, but is provided with a prong, d, that engages with a notch, (1 in the pin. The inner end of the prong in this instance extends toward the point of the key and terminates in the corrugated or weakened line d, so that when the point of the key is broken off the prong will be released. The key in each modification confines a seal-tag to the bolt or pin A, and cannot be removed without such mutilation of the seal-tag as will indicate that it has been tampered with.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a seal-lock, a securing-pin having a slot in one end thereof, in combination with a key or transverse piece having a head and a reduced part passing through said slot, a

seal-tag carried by said transverse piece between said head and the securing-pin, and an elastic locking-prong, one end of which is embedded in the transverse piece, substantially as shown and described.

2. The securing-pin having a slot in one end thereof and a key having slotted reduced portion, in combination with a locking-stem having elastic prongs for engaging shoulders in said slotted portion.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

LEWIS A. FOOTE.

Witnesses:

S. S. STOUT,

H. J. FORSY'IH. 

